


Of Stardust and Light

by EnigmaticPerfection



Series: Enigmatic's Season 8 fics [3]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Earth-2, Episode: s08e01 Starling City, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-22 12:09:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22682611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnigmaticPerfection/pseuds/EnigmaticPerfection
Summary: After bumping into an IT girl who is not his IT girl, Oliver Queen gives into his yearnings and sets off to find the one person who could remind him of his true home. And strangely Earth-2 Felicity Smoak wants to hear his story.Set in 8x01
Relationships: Oliver Queen & Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Series: Enigmatic's Season 8 fics [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1556611
Comments: 12
Kudos: 102





	Of Stardust and Light

**Author's Note:**

> Started this piece right after 8x01 aired. Lost it but then found it, finished it and I thought to myself: why the heck not?
> 
> Heaven knows why I write s8 fics though I never intend to watch it (Arrow ended on 7x22, I can't hear you). Actually I kinda do know: I love destroying myself writing this stuff.
> 
> English is not my first language and I don't have a beta, so I apologize for any mistakes.

He’d been in a place like that before. 

Massive computers humming, the clicks of keys being pressed. The QC IT Department. A blonde woman in a ponytail and pink blouse chewing on a pen. 

Except it wasn’t red. 

And the blonde was not who he wanted. 

And the spark of joy he started to feel turned to a sharp pang on his chest. 

He didn’t realize how much he wanted to see her face - though it wouldn’t exactly be _her_ face - until now. To be basked in light again. To remind himself why he made the sacrifice. To soften the missing feeling in his heart. 

The emptiness, the loneliness he felt became even sharper after his meeting with non-Felicity. 

Oliver needed to see Felicity. Well, Earth-2 Felicity. 

He didn’t know how long he had on that Earth, but something inside him snapped. He needed to at least try. 

He heard some executives talking about a new partnership for their new project and had an idea. He quickly, stealthily exited the QC headquarters and headed to his new, spontaneous destination. A jolt of thrill filled in on his way. 

Oliver always knew Felicity Smoak was destined to fantastic things. Her sunshine personality along with her strength of character and unparalleled brilliance was a unique combination. Felicity could conquer the world if she set her mind to it. 

And apparently here on Earth-2 she did.

He couldn’t help the pride that sprang in him when he saw the big sign with the words Smoak Technologies at the top of the tall, modern building. 

He felt a pang when he realized that could happen on his Earth and he wouldn’t be by his Felicity’s side to support her. 

Oliver shook his head. That was not why he was here. 

He entered the building and soon he found himself in the executive floor, right outside the CEO’s office. 

“Miss Smoak will see you now, Mr. Queen”, her EA said. 

Oliver’s heart raced in his chest. He was actually about to see the face he missed so damn much. He couldn’t help but feeling a little nervous. The ring necklace seemed to weigh even more inside his pocket along with the photos he carried. Absentmindedly his palm brushed the pocket, as to check if the necklace was still there. Of course it was. Oliver could feel it pulsing. The ring was some sort of beacon, a source of bright, pulsing energy that eternally connected him to his wife and family. 

He entered the office. The decor was exactly what he thought his Felicity would do. Clean and modern with a hint of femininity. The colorful personal touches screamed such Felicity-ness. 

Before he could decide what to do next the door on the right opened and- 

Oliver's breath hitched. 

There she was. 

She looked a lot like his Felicity. Similar fashion style. Hell, even the same red pen she was chewing while looking down to the tablet she was holding. Except she didn’t wear glasses, her hair was not on a ponytail but fell on her shoulders on soft, thick curls and she didn’t have the piercing on her right ear he’d spent so much time playing with his mouth. Instead of the golden cascade he was used to running his hands, her hair was between blond and red like autumn leaves. It fit her, turned her beauty into a whole new level. 

But the face, oh, that was what he wanted to see. Absolutely beautiful. Alabaster skin with those stunning blue eyes. 

“Good afternoon, Mr...”. Felicity rose her eyes and whatever she was going to say died on her lips - painted with a nude color, another slight difference from his wife, who loved her bright reds, pinks and purples. Earth-2 Felicity stopped on her tracks, frowned and cocked her head to the side. The pen she chewed now rested in her hand. “Not the QC rep I was expecting. It’s not like people who just came back from the dead start working the next day. Unless they got an MBA on an island-”, she babbled then stopped abruptly, pressing her lips together. 

Oliver’s heart flutter. This Felicity babbled too. He couldn’t help the soft look on his face. He fought back a smile. 

“And you’re not here to listen to me babble, which will end in... 3, 2, 1.” Felicity added. 

Oliver wondered if there were things simply meant to be no matter what parallel universe. Like Felicity saying that sentence, the same one his wife said on their first meeting. 

“Why are you here anyway?” His wife’s doppelgänger asked. “I thought my official appointment with the QC was tomorrow.” 

“Well I am getting reacquainted with my family’s business and the board it was a good idea to get to know a few potential future partners.” The lie left his lips easier than he thought. He had been practicing ever since he had that wild idea. 

The CEO squinted her eyes towards him. Oliver knew she was studying him. It also seemed no matter how many Felicities were there they always had a radar for Oliver Queen’s bullshit. 

“Really?” A pause. A deep breath. “Listen, I’m having a very busy, crazy day and the only break I have to breath and relax now seemed to be filled with non-sense. So if you and your company are messing with-” 

Her voice got serious, turned to business mode. Oliver saw everything crumble. No way! He walked a few frantic steps towards her, but still left a space between them. 

“I would never mess with you, Felicity.” His voice caressed her name the way it always did. With tenderness, intimacy, wonder, love. He noticed Felicity react to it a little. 

Oliver took a deep breath, throwing his ridiculous plan out of the window. Suddenly he felt like telling her everything. He didn’t know if he should, but that’s what he felt in his heart. 

“Well, you said you want a break from your hectic schedule. Do you wanna hear a story?” 

Oliver’s pulse drummed in his ears while he waited for her. Felicity kept staring at him, he could see engines in her head spinning. He really thought she was going to call security. 

“Why are you really here, Mr. Queen?” 

“Mr. Queen was my father”, he purposely said. The memory emerged and he let it out. 

“Yeah but he’s dead.” Felicity shook her head, exasperation covering her features. “Drowned... like you. But unlike you he didn’t come back. And now you’re listening to me babble again.” 

_Almost_ , he thought to himself. But still so close he couldn’t help but smile. A tiny, soft one, the same he knew he’d open when his Felicity disarmed him the second time - their official meeting - he saw her. 

This Felicity closed her eyes shut then opened them again. 

“Let me try again. Why are you really here, Oliver?” 

His heart jumped. Oh, how he missed hearing his name leave those lips. It didn’t sound as emotional as he was used to, sure, that wasn’t his Felicity, but it was still her voice. 

And enveloped in emotion, emotion he couldn’t hide completely - not that he wanted to -, he answered, “I wanted to see you.” 

“Me?” Felicity said in surprise. And confusion. 

But not fear. He noticed she wasn’t afraid of him or thinking he was a lunatic. She was in fact curious, and he played on this curiosity. 

“Yes. And if I tell you this story you’ll understand.” 

Felicity hesitated. Then she sighed and headed to her desk, sitting behind it and dropping the pen and the tablet. She gestured towards the chairs in front of her. “This better be entertaining, Oliver.” 

He calmly sat and looked at her, capturing every detail, wondering where to begin. 

“Do you believe in parallel universes, Felicity?” 

She frowned and cautiously answered, “Well, physics does study this. And I can’t say it’s a subject I’m not interested in.” 

Oliver briefly smiled, thinking that was a great conversation starter. 

“Well, they are real.” 

“How can you be so sure?” Skeptical, she didn’t believe him for a second. 

“Because this is not my Earth. And now you’re looking like me like I’m on drugs or I lost it at the island.” 

She snorted. “How would you prove it?” 

Oliver felt the photos on his jacket pockets. _Not yet_. 

“Because I know you from my Earth. And I could tell you a few things I know about you that could surprise you.” 

He didn’t know if all he knew from his Felicity also worked for the Felicity in front of him. Their stories could diverge. But this Earth was so similar to his and this Felicity, so similar to his he had to try. 

He saw a glint of defiance in the CEO’s eyes. Those blue irises that sparkled with light as much as his wife’s. 

“Like what?” She challenged. 

“You’re a coffee addict, your favorite ice cream flavor is mint chip, you can’t cook, you dye your hair. You hate mysteries, your favorite show is Doctor Who. You’re a hacker who was once known as GhostFoxGoddess even though the world never knew your identity. You literally block the world out when you’re faced with a challenge in your computer, whether it’s a bug in your code, a firewall you can’t put down or a question you can’t answer. And when that happens, absolutely nothing can take your out of that state. You forget to take care of yourself, basic needs. You get cranky, snappy, and while you’re typically an organized person, your surroundings turn into chaos when you’re in this state. And let’s not forget you’re fond of red pens.” He gestured to the pen on her desk. 

In the beginning, Felicity was still skeptical, but when he mentioned her codename she was taken aback and by the end of his speech she was shocked. Surprised. Her lips parted. 

“I’m not... How... How do you know so much about me? Oh my God!” 

He saved the best for last. 

“On my Earth, you’re my best friend. My wife. The love of my life,” he said with the most respectful of voices. 

Felicity’s widened ever more. 

“Oh wow,” she let out. “We’re married? I mean, not we, _we_ , you and my doppelgänger. Doppelgänger. That’s real. I have a doppelgänger. Or several. Oh wow!” 

Oliver let her process. And, Heaven forgive him, he was kind of amused with her reaction. Worse – or better – he was slightly charmed by this Felicity. But then again, Oliver thought he’d always get slightly charmed no matter how many Felicities he met. He was attracted to her essence, whatever made his Felicity the way she was – and to that extent all other Felicities. Maybe there were spots of his wife’s soul scattered around her other doppelgangers. As if all of them were made of stardust and there was a thread of it connecting every version throughout the multiverse. 

He remembered what his Felicity once said. _We’re all a fortunate, beautiful and intrinsically complex arrangement of stardust._ He thought his wife’s soul was the purest, brightest stardust that ever existed; an entire, mesmerizing universe herself. 

“How many parallel dimensions are there? Infinite?” 

“Probably. Trust me, this multiverse thing is still new to me”, he answered honestly. “And you were always better with this science thing than me.” 

“And what happened to this Oliver? I imagine he’s really dead.” 

“He is.” Oliver couldn’t help but sensing this strangeness inside him when he said that. Maybe because he was set on a path that would take him to death just like his doppelgänger. “He really died when the boat went down.” 

“What about you? Any boats in your story?” 

“Yes. Same thing that happen to your Oliver happened to me. Except I only spent five years on the island.” Oliver briefly told her about the Green Arrow. 

“So _you’re_ the Green Arrow back there. Interesting.” 

The CEO’s eyes moved to his left hand. “How come you don’t wear a ring? Oh, Felicity, of course he doesn’t, he’s not from here, people would find it weird, a married dead man.” 

Oliver let out a chuckle. He fished the necklace out of his pocket. There was his wedding ring, his most precious piece of jewelry, the one he stared at every day. He glanced at it, a pang in his chest wanting to numb the surprising warmth he was felling right now. The ring always shone, no matter where he was, and now, with the sunlight coming in through the floor to ceiling windows, the white gold captured and reflected some light beams. He glanced then back at Felicity. His emotions were all over the place, but still he rejoiced being somehow near the person he loved the most. 

She stared at him quizzically. “How are you here? And not with your Felicity?” 

“There’s nothing more that I want than to be with my family.” He said with a heavy heart. “But I was forced to separate from them because the multiverse is in danger.” 

And then he told a summary of his new, final mission. When he finished and looked at Earth-2 Felicity he knew that if she weren’t a genius she would’ve already cracked with so much information. 

“This is so sad. And terrible. I can’t even imagine what you’re going through, what you’re feeling. I’m so sorry you had to make such sacrifice, even if it’s for the greater good.” 

Oliver wondered if Felicity’s big heart and empathy were universal. They must be. He could hear she cared about him and his family. 

“Thank you, Felicity”, he said with a slight tremble on his voice. 

“Now I get why you would show up here.” 

“Yeah, it was a bit crazy.” 

“And stupid”, she teased with a smile. 

“Felicity never fails to call me on my bullshit. Apparently it transcends the universe.” Oliver chuckled. 

“You married a very smart woman, Oliver.” 

He smirked. “The smartest.” 

She kept staring at him for a few seconds. “I can hear your love for her in your voice”, she said gravelly. 

“I miss her so much”, he confessed. “But not so much now.” 

“Hey, don’t flirt with me! I’m not your wife.” 

Oliver laughed. “I’m not. What I mean is... I only came here to ser her face, your face, to remind me why I’m fighting for. So the yearning, the missing and the loneliness in me don’t ache so much for a moment.” 

Felicity’s features filled with a sad shadow. “It’s heartbreaking, truly. And I’m glad I’m kinda helping.” 

“Am I like her?”, she asked. 

“A lot. Personality wise, I mean. If I close my eyes and just hear you talk, I’ll feel like I’m there with her.” 

“I wonder how you and her met. Is there anything to do with the Arrow?” 

“Actually yes. You said you’d only help me with one mission.” 

“Let me guess, I wasn’t just a temporary sidekick.” Felicity leaned back on her chair. “Tell me your story with her.” 

Oliver opened a thoughtful smile. He could do that for hours. But he kept the most important parts, he hoped. How they met, how he was disarmed and enchanted by her from the very start, how he kept inventing ridiculous stories just to see her – both aware and unaware how much he was drawn to her -, how she joined his crusade, how everyday he spent by her side he fell a little more until one day she wasn’t just his partner, she was the love of his life. 

“Falling for Felicity was like falling asleep, slowly but then all at once”, he said deep in thought, with a perpetual, tiny, soft smile curving the corner of his lips. “I still can’t say when exactly I fell in love with her. All I know is I spent a lot of time fighting it. I didn’t realize I was in love, the moment it dawned on me, I was at a destroyed clock tower, ready to give up fighting, and she gave me one of her unforgettable pep talks and hugged me and then... I just _knew._ It was more of a moment of acceptance. I could no longer hide I loved her. Better yet, I didn’t want to hide.” 

“Why did you fight your feelings so hard?”, the other Felicity asked. 

Now this was an easy answer for Oliver. 

“Because I thought she could do better than a broken man like me. I thought I’d stain her world with darkness, that I’d destroy it and her. Deep down I thought I wasn’t worthy of love, I thought I couldn’t feel it.” He raised his eyes to the woman in front of him, memories and reality clashing. “Until you, _her_ , changed everything.” 

He told he and his Felicity’s journey wasn’t easy. How they got engaged, broke up and got married when they’d barely got back together. He told how being with her gave him a sense of peace he’d never felt, how she was the best part of him, how he’d never truly known happiness and love until she was by his side. 

“Oh, you have a kid! That’s nice”, Earth-2 Felicity said after he mentioned William. 

Oliver played with his wedding ring with his fingers when he heard her. Something sharp pierced his heart when he saw the image of a baby, heard a giggle. His tiny, adorable precious cargo. His microchip as Felicity liked to say. One of his greatest loves. His Mia. 

“I have two, actually.” 

“Oh”, Felicity paused. “So... we have a child? I’m a mom?” 

He couldn’t help but chuckling even with the pain in his heart. 

“I mean, you. And your Felicity.” 

“We have a daughter. Mia. The most precious baby I’ve ever seen.” 

“A baby?” Felicity repeated. He read on her voice that she just realized he not only left his wife and son behind, but also a baby. 

Oliver took his photos and extended to her. The first one was with him and his wife sitting on a chair holding Mia. He spent a lot of time staring at that image. 

“This is all I have left from them now”, he said, his voice echoing how much he missed his dream. 

This Felicity got the photo and stared at it. 

“Oh my God, it’s weird seeing myself even though it’s not myself! And Mia is so, so beautiful. I feel like squeezing her cheeks and tickling her belly.” 

Oliver cracked a bittersweet smile because he used to do these a lot. Suddenly his arms felt so empty it hurt. They rapidly got used to holding and cradling his baby girl, feeling her softness, her warmth, her kicking legs. Mia scented of life. Not having his tiny bundle of joy now felt wrong. 

Felicity handed him back the photo. “Congratulations. Mia’s truly a gem.” 

“She is.” 

“Every once in a while I wondered if I had a baby how he or she would look like. Now I know it depends on how hot the father is.” The CEO widened her eyes, her cheeks got flustered. “Not, not that I’m making a pass at you, no, that would be wrong. Sort of, since we’re technically married. And I’d probably make a pass at you if you weren’t and that would mean a lot of inappropriate comments like this one.” 

The weigh in his heart diminished with the babbling. He couldn’t say he didn’t miss Felicity and her epic slip ups regarding his looks. 

“Oh I know. I’ve always loved your babbling.” 

He handed now a photo of his wife and William, the same he carried during his time in prison. 

“He looks like you. And I can see that your Felicity pretty much considers him as a son too”, this Felicity said. 

“She does. She’s the best person I know.” Oliver put the photographs back in his pocket. “She’s starting her company too and based on what I saw” He glanced around the huge office. “She’s gonna be very successful. It's what she deserves.” 

“This parallel universe thing is actually very interesting.” The CEO waved frantically her hands while speaking. “I wonder, is there something connecting the worlds? Like a veil or something? I read a sci-fi book once that stated the worlds are connected by some sort of dust, it flows through each one of them like a river. Or are the worlds, like, glued together? And is it possible something that could tear through this fabric and open holes, portals? And what about people, what happens to them? Are there constants in these worlds? Like, some people have to die no matter what, some people will always make impacts in history? Does fate exist then? Are there people who have to meet each other? Fall in love? In this case the whole concept of soulmates is actually real.” 

Oliver just stared at her. Felicity finally noticed and stopped her ramble. Her cheeks turned to a shade of pink again and she visibly got a bit uncomfortable. 

“Why are you staring at me like that? Like... like you’re hopelessly in love with me? Stop it, I'm not your wife.” 

God, Oliver knew that. The agony in his being was too damn real to ignore. Because if that woman really were his wife he would already be hugging and kissing her until everything ceased to exist. 

“I’m truly sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, it’s just... it’s hard”, he tried to explain. 

“It’s okay”, she said. “It’s amazing knowing that somewhere out there someone truly loves me.” 

Oliver caught her tone. Did that come from her abandonment issues? Or did someone hurt her? The latter ignited a burst of anger inside him. He hated seeing any version of his Felicity hurt. 

“It’s just... I’ve never seen such pure love. Or experienced it.” 

“I hope you do someday”, Oliver sincerely wished. Even if another version of him wouldn’t give this to her. Felicity deserved the ultimate happiness, no matter where, no matter how or who she shared it with. 

“I don’t know. And after all these possibilities about the multiverse, it makes me wonder. If there’s such thing as soulmates, that ship has sailed for me. This Earth’s Oliver is dead.” 

“I can’t tell you if it really exists on scientific terms or whatever, though I feel with all my being that my wife is indeed my soulmate, but I still hope you get the best this life was to offer.” 

“Thank you.” She opened the most beautiful smile. 

Her phone buzzed and her tablet’s screen lit up, bringing them back to reality. 

“Oh wow! Time really flies.” She eyed Oliver. He was surprised with the hint of sadness that painted her features. “I’m afraid we’ll have to stop here.” 

His stomach dropped. His time was up. Again. 

“It’s okay. I more than overstayed my welcome. And I more than turned your world upside down.” 

“Oh you did. But strangely I like it. I just...” Her eyes lingered on him. “Even with this craziness, I just had this feeling about you. I felt like I could trust you.” 

Oliver remembered a coffee shop, his stupid brain thinking for a second it was a date, his dorky wave greeting a still somewhat strange, endearing woman, a bashful yet firm Felicity under the dim light, her words that not only made him fully trust her but also changed his crusade back then. _Yet I still feel like I can trust you. Why is that?_

It truly felt like Oliver and Felicity had a unique connection wherever they were, regardless of which version they were. 

“Also you really told me an interesting story.” 

Oliver stood up, feeling a weird weight pulling him down, though he got what he wanted from his visit. He knew the desperate, angsty state that crawled into his soul since he said goodbye to his family would take him back as soon as he stepped outside Smoak Tech. 

Felicity also stood and circled her desk, standing right in front of him. Closer than they ever were. They shook hands. Her skin was so much like Felicity’s it shot a tingle down Oliver’s spine. 

“Thank you for your time, Felicity.” 

“My pleasure.” 

He turned on his heels and headed to the door. 

“Hey, Oliver.” 

He turned back to her. “Yeah?” 

Felicity had a soft look on her face. “I hope you reunite with your family again. You more than earned it.” 

He remembered his wife telling him, _promising_ him they’d meet again. The promise was the guiding light that got him through that mission. His ultimate, pristine belief. 

His heart leaped in his chest. “Thank you, Felicity.” 

When he left the building, he looked up at the sky. The vast infinity with dark skies and stars that both separated him from his wife and was his only connection with her. She was there somewhere. He knew that whatever truly united the worlds, science or magic or rivers of light and stardust, one day would it fulfill their promise. 

**Author's Note:**

> And after that Oliver got his happy ending.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed it. Please let me know if you did. Comments/kudos warm any writer's heart.
> 
> I also have other Olicity fics. If you enjoyed this, feel free to read my other stuff. (Still intend to write a fix-it oneshot to finish this series...)


End file.
